All the Saints

I have a confession to make (that should get your attention.)

Picture inserted for dramatic pause.  Notice the visitor at mass today.

This feast of All Saints is one of my favorite Church celebrations during the year.  And it's not because here in Rome we get the day off of school (but it sure helps).  No, it is because today we pause to honor ALL the Saints, and this includes a whole bunch of folks we might not typically think about.  Anyone who has read this blog will know that I enjoy the likes of St. Francis of Assisi, Catherine of Siena, Anthony of Padua and even St. Thomas Aquinas.  Being in Rome, it's kind of fun to run around the city "looking" for them, and, also as readers of this blog will know, occasionally finding their arm, or head, or whole body.  These are the saints of whom we see pictures and know their stories.  And that's all fine and good.

Celebrating All Saints with St. Sebastian at the Catacombs.

But, today, we celebrate ALL the Saints.  It is a day to pause and celebrate all the saints, both known and UNKNOWN. There are many, many holy people out there who will never be formally canonized by the Church.  Most of them lived holy lives in very ordinary ways.  Most probably never had a mystical experience or wrote a theological dissertation, and they probably didn't found a religious order or do missionary work in foreign lands.  But, in their own ways, they lived the Gospel message of love and peace and charity whether they were bakers or teachers, musicians or engineers, or whatever they did in life.  And these are the folks whom we honor and remember today.  I would suspect that each of us could come up with our own list of saints (that would be good homework for you!  Maybe an extra credit project.)

This summer, as I was in Spain, I "met" one such saint.  Now, I should say that there is a process currently taking place to get him canonized formally.  But, what struck me about his life was that he seemed "normal" - he didn't try to do anything extraordinary but just tried to live what he thought was a good life, and he tried to pray the rosary when he could (also not a bad homework assignment for you and it will get you extra credit later on).

His name is Faustino Perez-Manglano.  He was a student at the Marianist high school in Valencia, Spain. He liked soccer, camping and just being with friends.  He lived from 1946 to 1963, just 17 short years.  But during those years, he decided to live with and for God in his own way.  This summer, we were able to meet with Marianist Father Jose Maria Salaverri who knew Faustino and is working on his cause for Beatification. 

Fr. Jose Maria Salaverri.  I'm not sure who will be canonzied first: him or Faustino.

From his talk, two things remain for me.  The first is that Faustino was, by most accounts, a normal kid.  Yes, he seemed to have a somewhat heightened sense of the sacred, especially in the writings of his diary.  But, at the same time, his diary contains a hodgepodge of soccer results, recess games, favorite television shows and when he prayed the Rosary.  The second impression was that Faustino said he wanted to be a missionary.  At an early age, he decided to join the Marianists.  However, Hodgkin's Disease would never allow this to happen.  But, as Fr. Salaverri told us, he is now a missionary, our missionary, in heaven.  And this is so true in that many groups and individuals have become inspired by Faustino's steadfast faith and trust in God.  You can read more (a lot more!) about Faustino here.

With Fr. Jose Maria and Faustino.

A close-up of Faustino's tomb which was transferred to Our Lady of the Pillar Marianist School in Valencia some years ago.

In the Preface to a book about Faustino, Marianist Father Jose Maria Salaverri sums up what today celebrates:

Can a person become a saint in barely 17 years?  The reply must be "yes."  If God wants everyone to reach holiness, God must give the means.  To be a saint is to love God and our neighbor to the best of our abilities.  A person who lives 17 years can achieve this in 17 years.  Each person achieves holiness according to his or her way of life, age, character, and daily affairs.

At least there's one saint in his picture.

From the class picture in the school.

Happy Feast of All the Saints!  May we celebrate the saints in our lives, and may we strive to become a people of saints ourselves!


Ciao!